Teleological explanation and positive emotion serially mediate the effect of religion on well‐being

Ramsay, Jonathan E.; Tong, Eddie M. W.; Chowdhury, Anisuzzaman; Ho, Moon‐Ho R.

doi:10.1111/jopy.12425

Cited by 38 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Concerning the cognitive dimension of SWB, a number of studies found a positive relationship between spirituality as well as religiosity and life satisfaction (Yoon and Lee, 2004). To explain these findings, it has been suggested that people who experience more connection with and direction from a higher power, that is, people who show high religious and spiritual involvement, tend to give a more positive appraisal of their lives (Vishkin et al, 2016, 2019; Ramsay et al, 2019). The sense of being in connection with a higher power, with others, and, in general, with life represents an effective way to maintain a positive evaluation of one’s life, despite all the possible negative circumstances that one may encounter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, according to Ramsay et al (2019), another important mechanism that can explain the relationship between religiosity and well-being is that of emotional regulation, which consists in the modulation of emotional states functionally to the environment’s demands. To the extent that religion constantly trains people to reassess emotional events, religious individuals may become more used to cognitive reappraisal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Different Religious Status

et al. 2019

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Spirituality and religiosity have been found to be positive predictors of subjective well-being, even if results are not altogether consistent across studies. This mixed evidence is probably due to the inadequate operationalization of the constructs as well as the neglect of the moderation effect that the individuals’ religious status can have on the relation between spirituality/religiosity and subjective well-being. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with subjective well-being (operationalized as both life satisfaction and balance between positive and negative affect) and to test whether differences exist according to individuals’ religious status (religious, non-religious, and uncertain). Data were collected from 267 Italian adults aged 18–77 ( M = 36.68; SD = 15.13), mainly women (59.9%). In order to test the role of spirituality (operationalized as Purpose, Innerness, Interconnection, and Transcendence) and religiosity (operationalized as three dimensions of the religious identity: Commitment, In-depth Exploration, and Reconsideration of Commitment) in subjective well-being, two path analysis models were run, one for each predictor. To test the invariance of the two models across the individuals’ religious status, two multi-group models were run. The models concerning spirituality were tested on the entire sample, finding that spirituality had a positive impact on subjective well-being (except for the dimension of Interconnection) and that this relation is unaffected by the individual’s religious status. The models concerning religiosity were instead tested only on religious and uncertain, finding that the relationship between religiosity and subjective well-being changes across religious status. In particular, the main difference we found was that religious identity commitment positively predicted satisfaction with life among religious, but not among uncertain individuals. An interpretation of the results and their implications are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Different Religious Status

et al. 2019

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“…Roberts et al (2021), for example, in researching the psychology of religion, concern themselves primarily with extrinsic teleological explanation, focusing on artifacts (which have extrinsic teleology), and teleological explanations of ecosystems (i.e., "Earthworms tunnel underground in order to aerate the soil") (p. 1723). Ramsay et al (2018) similarly concern themselves with the relationship between religious orientation and teleological explanation, observing how individuals explain their daily experiences in relation to larger narratives of divine or cosmic purpose (i.e., extrinsic teleology). Stern et al (2018) also occupy themselves with the relation between religion and teleology.…”

Section: The Psychology Of Religion and Extrinsic Teleologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early Modern Attack on Teleology and the Politics of Contemporary Psychology: Intellectual Roots of Current Dilemmas

Paterson

2021

Hu Arenas

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The paper takes up the relationship between teleological explanation and psychology. Teleological explanation-given in terms of purpose, intention, and value-is generally viewed unfavorably in psychology and science broadly. Biophysical mechanistic explanations are generally regarded as more scientific. The paper argues that the contemporary hostility to teleology needs to be understood in the context of the early modern political-philosophical struggles against organized religion. European philosophers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw that teleology was an essential part of how organized religion justified its political power. René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza are analyzed as philosophers who both attacked teleology, and contributed to the critique of organized religion. The early modern attack on teleology and the development of mechanistic science thus both had political as well as philosophical motivations. The tension between teleological and mechanistic explanation is shown to persist into the present, with the work of Carl Rogers and B.F. Skinner used as more recent examples. Rogers argued that humanistic psychology required a teleological understanding of both human and cosmic processes, whereas Skinner staunchly denied the reality of teleology and unfailingly championed behavioral, mechanistic science. Both Rogers' and Skinner's claims, moreover, can be traced to the early modern attack on teleology. It is then shown that contemporary research continues to grapple with the question of teleology. More specifically, the paper claims that contemporary writing fails to distinguish adequately between extrinsic and intrinsic teleology. The paper concludes advocating for a serious reckoning with the problem of teleology, and claims it is essential for genuinely scientific psychology.

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“…The ability to derive meaning has been identified as a possible link in the causal chain between religion and enhanced well-being (Steger & Frazier, 2005), along with other potential mediators such as positive emotions and need satisfaction that will be discussed in subsequent sections. While research has shown that religious individuals see divine purpose and significance in day-to-day events (Ramsay et al, 2018), this ability to derive meaning is even more striking in the case of highly impactful events (Lupfer et al, 1996). This suggests that religion should serve a psychologically protective function when confronted with an unprecedented global emergency such as COVID-19.…”

Section: Religion the Search For Meaning And Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Crisis

Ramsay¹

2020

How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic

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Teleological explanation and positive emotion serially mediate the effect of religion on well‐being

Abstract: These results provide evidence of the importance of teleological explanations of daily events in religious enhancement of well-being.

Cited by 38 publications

References 48 publications

The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Different Religious Status

The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Different Religious Status

The Early Modern Attack on Teleology and the Politics of Contemporary Psychology: Intellectual Roots of Current Dilemmas

Coping with COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Crisis

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